Category Archives: #justsaying

The title above may seem flippant given that my absence from blogging was due to a bereavement in my close family circle. My brother-in-law passed away in December after being ill. Things got chaotic after that. I’ve been off work to support my sister and niece for a month and I go back on the 28th. On Wednesday it will be a month since he passed.

Meditation has kept stress and anxiety under control, although there are times that I wake up with the hands of anxiety trying to close around my heart. Things have begun to settle after the g-force pace of change of the last 3 weeks. I’m drained physically and emotionally. Homeopathics have helped, in particular, aconite and ignatia. So have walks with my niece followed by ice-cream 😉

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Hello and welcome to this edition of weekend coffee share. Let’s have a cup and a chat. Can you believe that it’s November and Christmas decorations are up in the mall already. 6 weeks, or so, to Christmas.

How do I feel about this? I’m fine with it. There are some who complain about the commercialisation of Christmas and each year the decorations are up earlier and earlier. My take on this is that I can enjoy the beauty and ingenuity of the decorations and not be influenced by commercialisation. I will buy something if I want to, not because I feel compelled.

Financially things are tough at the moment in South Africa. I feel like I’m going backwards financially. My money buys less each year. My salary has remained the same for the last 2 years. I am seriously worried about my savings and retirements investments going backwards. Relocating to another country is an option but a tough decision to make.

Political shenanigans and policy uncertainty means a volatile economy, the country was downgraded to junk status a year or so ago. And yet life goes on. People still buy new cars, on debt, houses, on debt. Still go to the malls, some on debt. Shops are looking for any opportunity to market and promote their products. It is in the malls’ interest to put up Christmas decorations early, because they rely rental income and people coming in to remain open.

Let’s move away from the depressing talk. This week was home, home, work, work, sales meeting, grocery shopping, spring cleaning. My study needs a good revamp and I started today by getting rid of paper-based kipple I no longer need. I also have tons of stationery, most of it I got as part of conference goodie bags or from hotels where I attended training or seminars. I put all that I don’t want into a large shoe box to donate to the church and SPCA. I kept a few items in a very small box – I mean how many pens and highlighters do I need at any one time?

I’ve been spending some time by The Minimalists website, and I want to downscale. I already have on clothes and shoes and bags, and more need to go. I also came across alejandra.tv, and watched one of her videos – I want my house to be organised just like hers! She uses colour to good effect. Check this video out:

Oh well that’s it for today. Because I spent the day tidying up my study our coffee is a short one. I hope you have a great week.

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I’m grateful that a misunderstanding on the time for a customer meeting meant that I arrived 2 hours early rather 2 hours late. Thank goodness for coffee shops in corporates with wifi and workspaces with power points. The wait was no problem at all.

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Two cups of coffee down and I’m ready to share the week’s happenings over another one with you.

Monday and Tuesday I attended training. I wasn’t feeling 100% yet from the previous week’s sinus infection but I’m glad I went because I learnt some new things. The only crappy part was the traffic. The venue location meant that I needed to go across town through the bottleneck that is the M1. On Monday I drove home the long way just to miss the M1 traffic. It was longer but faster.

I was at the same venue on Wednesday, this time I was the one delivering the training. I run a simulation to help the concepts stick and I’m always amazed at what people can build in a short space of time with just paper, scissors, and glue.

On Thursday I met with a partner to discuss our upcoming facilitation course at The Art Farm, a delightful place out in the countryside. It felt wonderful being out amongst the trees, veld and wide open spaces. We got a lot of work done.

Friday was “office” day. That is a misnomer since my office is at home but you get the idea…calls, and admin. Che and I did go out for lunch to the Two Trees bakery, quite rustic, and it was nice to not be in a mall. While there, two very strong gusts of wind drove people inside from the garden, and the ensuing dust storm decreased visibility.

The weekend has been rather dreary, rainy and overcast and cool. At least the pool is getting filled with rainwater which is free. It’s snuggle with tea and toast weather.

Oh yes, I almost forgot…Che and I finished watching Nikita and went straight to bingeing on 12 Monkeys. It’s how we decompress. It’s proving to be intriguing and we even began doing timeline drawings of the backwards and forwards so as not to miss anything.